Forever
by Agrithnum-aut
Summary: Four years. Four. That's how many I had to wait, how many I had to fight in a place unfamiliar to me, and how long it took for us to finally get back together. This time, however, I'll make sure that I never give in or break, no matter the consequences. Our life is only just beginning, after all.
1. Back To Where We Began

**This story takes place a year after Kirino's high school graduation, about 4 and a half years after the concurrent anime timeline. Thank you for tuning in and reading.**

* * *

Kyousuke swallowed the bile, spit, the blood rising back into his throat as he padded out of the dark, defunct stone halls of his captors. Holding a flag, still furled inside his hands, he could hear the labored yelling of many soldiers that he had grown beside. They had finally ended the war and following it surely would be home.

Dust followed with the wind, true to its desert landscape regardless of the city they were in.

"Victory." The flag came unfurled, and his disheveled appearance was known to the world. From the many laden scars scattered about his body and his hair, long and unruly as it fell behind his back from years of ignorance, he smiled. His teeth glinted, and his soot covered face was filled with peace.

He could see a few fellow soldiers looking up at him, shielding their eyes from the harsh sun beating down on them above.

"I thought I told you… I will _never _give up!" Cheers erupted as many made way, some climbing the walls to him as he fall face first, letting exhaustion take over. _It's… over…_

* * *

Kirino bounced on the balls of her feet, excited beyond all belief. It had been years since her brother was conscripted, albeit forcefully, to finally put an end to the war. She saw him on TV, on the news, in magazines, everywhere. _He's still there… and he was fighting for our sake._

She smiled a bit to herself, only snapping her head back up as the doors to the plane finally opened, and the stairs in place for his return.

"I guess you weren't lying, Kirino. He's alive and well… I'm sorry." Kirino smiled wide to her long-time friend, Ayase, nudging her shoulder with her own.

"Don't sweat it." She winked, and Ayase smiled in return, casting her gaze to the many battered men and women stepping down from the elevated stairs in awe. Some were missing limbs, others…

Kirino kept her eyes forward despite the array of grisly wounds on display, for the whole world to see. She held her breath as a familiar, though slightly scarred face came into her view. He was a lot bigger, and his hair was a lot longer than she was used to, but it was _him_.

"Son…" As Kyousuke Kousaka stepped down, her father… the last person she expected, was crying as he hugged him, a little shorter than the war-torn man that stood before him.

"I'm home." Such a cheeky reply from someone who was held for almost a year. An eyepatch was strapped about his face, and at the edges a jagged, bladed wound surely lied beneath. She wasn't expecting him to be in one piece. _How horrible… he…_

His smile left little room to doubt that he was okay. Mentally, he was still with them, with all of them.

"KYOUSUKE!" Daisuke, their father, stepped back as a few men, of the same age- old classmates, came up to him, bombarding him with questions. He simply waved them off or answered in kind laughter.

"One at a time, Akagi." The man shook his head, grinning from ear to ear.

"Dude, do you know how worried I was? I know it made you a badass and all, but still!" Kyousuke clapped his shoulder, making him stumble a bit with a small smile.

"Don't worry about me. I'm back, and I'm not going anywhere. This is my home." Many news reporters and authors were foaming at the mouth trying to get past the tape surrounding the area, some pushed back a little bit more roughly than he'd have liked. But it didn't matter. He was finally safe.

"Speaking of which, where's Kirino? I didn't see her." Akagi elbowed him lightly, pointing towards a silent, and stilled Kirino, her fist placed over her left breast with a smile. She was… different.

"Right there, buddy. Get going." He was slightly pushed, making him stumble as he held on to the bag slung over his shoulder. His heart sped up wildly as the first person he wanted to see stepped forward. Well, stepped is a bit of an understatement.

"K-Kirino? You- urk!" He wrapped his arms around her shoulders with a smile, rubbing her head lightly as yet another smile graced his lips.

"I was so worried… that you'd return in a body bag instead of-" He let her go, placing his hands on her shoulders with yet another confident smile. He winked for added effort.

"Leave it to me, Kirino."

* * *

Dishes clanked about in the strainer as Kyousuke finished cleaning, sighing as he dried his hands from the soapy water. He sat down at the table beside Kirino, nervously shuffling as his father looked downtrodden, hands clenching the table in an iron vice.

"Oyaji, it's not your fault." The gruff man shook his head firmly.

"No. It is. If I hadn't signed that damn paper… if I hadn't sent you to a war that you didn't belong in… you never would have had this happen to you. Your eye… I doubt that's all it took from you." Kyousuke leaned over. He clasped his father's fist in his hand, resting it at the table with closed eyes.

"Really, it isn't. I'm kind of glad that you did this, and I hated it for a while. But..." He angrily locked eyes with his only son, tears budding at his eyelids with a frown.

"This war forced you to _kill_ people, Kyousuke! How can you not hate me?!" Sitting back down, he smiled wide despite the tensions hanging between them.

"That may be so, but I never once doubted your faith in me. What you did, what _I_ did, it made us stronger, better people. As you said, nothing in Afghanistan was easy, but your words, Kirino's wishes, I kept them all _right here_." Sighing again, he took a sip of his water as he slid a small photo across the table. It was the last photo they'd taken as a family since he left.

"I won't let you blame yourself, because you were with me every step of the way." His father couldn't stop the tears as he sat abruptly and hugged his son tight. Kyousuke relished the father that he remembered many years ago, one that would always guide him. His mother gently patted his back, smiling at the open door that led to the bedrooms, where Kirino assuredly was standing, listening.

Kyousuke gulped, reaching into his bag, which had been sitting next to the table since he got back- he pulled an array of letters, most of them from Kirino and Mom, but he fished out a letter sealed with wax, smiling.

"This letter right here. It was the only one you sent, but that didn't matter. When I was captured by those… people… I hid it in my mouth. I read it every day to keep myself sane. Your words, right here." He patted the envelope lightly before tucking it back into his bag.

"All of you. I always remembered who I needed to return to… and what it meant. Don't ever forget that." He broke off, gathering his scattered bags with a small smile, leaving his father alone in the dining room. He didn't need to turn back to know that his old man was smiling. _If it means that I can give him peace of mind, then it's okay._

He yawned, stepping into the hall. The padding of bare feet against wood caught his attention, he turned to see Kirino pushing off the wall. She smiled cheekily at him, her toothy grin making his own mouth curve at the corner of his lips.

"Life counseling?" Without skipping a beat, she led him up to _his _room, shutting the door behind them with a relieved sigh.

Kyousuke looked around, shocked at the state of cleanliness his room was in, as if everything had been frozen save for, surprisingly, his bed. The sheets were tousled a bit, as if it had been slept in recently.

"You… kept my room clean? You didn't have to… Kirino…" Kirino shook her head as she sat down on the mattress, patting the spot next to her. He immediately obliged, sitting a little further down with a grunt as he dropped his pack to the floor.

"No… I wanted to. While you were out fighting, and when we were still kids in school, chasing each other, going to the club, even when we promised to break it off, I never once wanted you to leave. And when you had to, well… it tore me apart. I can't help it… y'know? You never stopped helping me, giving me strength, pushing me forward. I… ah… god this is embarrassing…" Scooting close, Kyousuke rested his chin atop Kirino's head, rubbing her arm gently. _I need this, Kirino._

"I told you this a long time ago, that I would _never_ judge you. That won't change." She stroked his cheek gently, tracing a rather large scar on his chin, trailing down his arms as many others became more and more apparent.

"Yeah… and now you're all beat up, worn down… and these scars… how many were… you know?"

"Fatal? Kirino, besides this fake eye of mine, I can assure you that I'm perfectly healthy. There were a lot of times that I _should_ have died… but for me, I think it's safe to say that a guardian angel, as my comrades used to joke about, was keeping me safe." He sighed, looking at the clock with squinted eyes. _Eleven already, huh?_

"Hah? What's up?" Kirino tugged at his shirt, pulling it over his head as she inspected him, head to toe. Each time she came across a particularly grisly scar…

"Kyousuke!" Her arms felt… nice. He cuddled closer to Kirino, eyes closed as he fell back to the soft cushion of the mattress, relishing the springy texture as it rose and fell under their weight. _When did Kirino become so… different? I know I haven't seen her in four years, but this is…_

Kyousuke held her palm at his cheek, nuzzling it affectionately. Kirino's vibrant curtain of blonde hair fell flush about his head. When he opened his eyes, her face was tear-stricken, in grief.

"I was so worried…" Kirino's breathing was heavy and shifting her legs on either side of his stomach didn't help with the butterflies swimming in the pit of her stomach.

"Kirino…" Kyousuke watched as she leaned close, lips parted. So close that he could feel her breath tickling his nose.

"Aniki… I love you…"

Kyousuke simply accepted what had been coming. He sat there, like broken glass, and let her heat seep into him. His skin tingled lightly as she hovered even closer, just centimeters away. He smirked as he pushed the back of her head into contact, and he kissed her. He relished her cute moan as he suckled the bottom of her lip.

"Kyousuke!" She fell into him, smiling brightly with her head pressed into Kyousuke's chest. Kyousuke gulped as the thoughts forming in his brain molded into words.

"Kirino… I love you too. I love you more than anyone, more than anything else." He took her bright-red cheeks into his hands and kissed her more fervently than he thought he'd be able. It came naturally, like the rain comes from the bated storm covering the skies.

"You're my whole world…" She nuzzled into him once more as he threw the covers atop them, giggling.

"Will that ever change?"

"No…"

"Will you love me forever, and only me?" He yawned his response behind his sleep-deprived eyes.

"Yes…"

The night passed him in a flash and for the first time in four years he truly felt at peace, where the world wasn't violently shifting around him, changing his course. No, this path was rigid, strong, and as long as the distance to the stars.

* * *

A loud growling- like that of an engine awoke him from his thoughts. It abrupted as quickly as it came, and he looked out his bedroom window to see the sun beating down on them. His eyes caught the clock, and he shook his head in disbelief. _It only took me a day to get used to waking up past 5 in the morning… sheesh. It's nine-o-clock…_

He noticed that Kirino was still snoring away, an almost half happy, half perverted smile stretched about her face. His eyes twitched when he realized she was drooling on him. _You can't be… serious…_

He shifted his weight up slowly, holding her close to his chest for a moment, not before untangling their legs from the covers with a sigh.

Loud knocks at his door put a spring in his step, and he opened the door to his room as Kirino woke from her slumber.

"Is it… ~_yawn_~ morning already?" He turned back to her, where she groggily rubbed her eyes in childish content. He had to shift his gaze as he noticed just how much more… _full_ that she'd gotten over the years. _And she's a model… it doesn't help._

"K-Kirino?" She put her chin on his shoulder, arms and legs gripped around his body.

"Carry me…" He smiled a bit at the thought. _Well, the old man and mom already left for work at this time… so…_

"Alright…" Kirino giggled a bit, her voice squeaking as he took off at a brisk pace. She was completely at his whims… and she loved it.

His feet shuffled, or more like pounded against the stairs, as he reached for the door. Gripping the handle, he yanked it open to reveal none other than Ayase, who despite his jumbled memory, was very dear to him.

She blushed near-instantly, eyebrows twitching as she looked away as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Hi." Kirino lifted her head with another yawn, raising her hand in a greeting.

"Can you put on a… sh-shirt?" In his haste, he'd forgotten that not wearing a shirt around his living space was not normal. No, he was not surrounded by a bunch of burly (and rowdy) men anymore, he was with normal people living a _normal_ life.

"And why is Kirino's lipstick all over you? Don't tell me you two already… d-d-did it!" He blushed a bit at the thought, and that hesitation cost him his neck, if the squeezing around his throat was any indication.

"Pervert… you were imagining it, weren't you?"

"You got me. I was." He sighed, motioning for the nervously shifting woman to follow him inside. He was surprised, though, that Kirino wouldn't look him in the eye as he carried her to her room, even more so that she didn't instantly kick him out as she got down from his back.

Kyousuke reached for the door and halted as Kirino tapped his shoulder with her finger.

"Were you really?" He nodded, to which she pushed him out with her foot, leaving him to stumble out.

"Idiot…" He caught her smile red-handed as she shut the door, chuckling to himself as he walked into his own room. Opening the door, he threw on the nearest article of clothing he could find… only to see that nothing really fit him the same way. He fished out a spare from his bag and tossed it on, reveling in the loose material sliding back to form.

"Much better." He touched his eye-patch with a bit of hesitation. Removing it, he blinked, hissing as the light slightly burned against the newly implanted eyeball. _It was supposed to come off today… I guess._

He cringed at the jagged scar that tore along his forehead and a good portion of his cheek. _It's hard to look at and know what happened._

Shaking his head, he headed out to the living room, quickly moving to the refrigerator with a grunt. Opening, he fished out a bottle of barley tea- a drink he missed dearly. He poured a glass and looked expectantly at Ayase, who was busy staring at the ground with her hands folded into her lap.

"You want something to drink?" She nodded quickly, almost as if it were forced.

"Yeah… just some water will do." He quickly grabbed a second glass, and pressing it against the sensor for ice, he filled it with water. It clinked quietly as he placed it in front of her, sinking himself into the nearby recliner.

"So… what's the reason for the visit? Kirino I'm guessing?" Ayase nodded quickly, sipping at the glass with a relieved sigh.

"Yeah. I also came to see how you were holding up… if you were getting used to being back." He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, leaning back into the cushion as if to sink into it completely.

"Last night was the first time in four years that I was able to get a full night's rest… and I feel better than ever, honestly." Ayase giggled a bit, leaning forward to catch her chin with the palm of her hand.

"I bet. Those bunk beds must have been pretty bad." He nodded, deadpan as he looked back to her.

"You have no idea. Trust me, when the guy below you goes apeshit because of a spider and keeps knocking over the bunk into one of others, fights were bound to break out." She fumbled with her hands, blushing a bit as she took notice that his arms were nothing like he used to be. Instead of the dainty, almost frail appendages from back then they were full and very obviously toned.

"Did you win any of them?" He laughed a bit, almost spitting out his tea onto his shirt as he forced it down.

"I mean, I got my ass handed to me until about a year in. Trust me, the training they had us do still has my arms sore." She laughed back in a series of chortles, smiling wide. She rose an eyebrow at the barely hidden physique at the collar of his shirt.

"I bet. What made you train that hard? Trying to impress someone, hmm?" He blushed quickly, shrinking into his seat with a defeated sigh. _If she keeps being all suggestive, my head might explode._

"N-No… I wasn't." He grumbled to himself quietly, barely audible as he focused in at the opening door. Kirino walked through, and he found his breath caught in his throat, staring. He looked away quickly to avoid suspicion but found it impossible as she scooted into the spare space in the recliner. Well, now he was _literally_ joined at the hip with her.

"Ayase, what brings the sudden visit? Is it work?" Ayase quickly shook her head, pink still dusting her cheeks as she coughed into her hand.

"Yeah. The manager told you to take as much time as you need. After all, it's been a while since you've last seen Kyousuke." Kirino nodded quietly, leaning into his side.

"I kinda want to take him with me for a day. Since it's the last day of that gig, and I'm needed, I don't want to skimp out if I can help it." Ayase nodded, quickly tapping away at her phone, sighing in relief.

"Thanks, Kirino. I wasn't sure how they were going to push it back, hehe. Y'know… you said you wanted to bring him with you, right?" She nodded quickly, a cheeky smile gracing her lips. Kirino scratched her cheek with a light chuckle.

"Well… I can help you. You know… put in a good word…" Kirino hugged the modest girl with a smile, giggling as they fell to the ground. Kyousuke scratched his head again with a sigh, wondering if the world was, in fact, spinning. _I guess… it couldn't hurt._

* * *

All of it was over in a flash, well, as much of a flash as it could have been. They did spend almost six hours at Eternal Blue for god knows how many photos, and finally when they left, they had spent another seven or eight shopping. Well, at least _she _did.

"Y'know, I'll never understand how you can spend almost two hours in the same lingerie shop and hop around otaku commonplace like it's nothing." Growling, she kicked his shin, making him flinch at the mercy of the sharp end of her heel.

"No complaining, aniki!" Sighing, he followed her step by step on their way home, grumbling nearly the entire way. Little did they know, waiting at home was going to be the most unexpected of the most… unexpected.

* * *

"I'm home" both Kyousuke and Kirino chimed as they removed their shoes, and grunts accompanied by pants didn't help the fact that again, Kyousuke was carrying a few dozen bags about his body. Truth be told, he was exhausted. _Maybe not completely, but… this is tiring._

Following up the stairs he entered Kirino's room. Dropping her bags (some more gently than others), he left and headed down stairs. Opening the door, he was met quickly by his father's hand grabbing him by the arm and settling him down on the couch opposite of him. Beside Kyousuke, Kirino was quivering, shaking lightly. He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close to offer some type of comfort for what was likely coming next.

Daisuke, his father and renown hardass, was struggling aside his wife, staring off deep in thought.

"How long were you two planning on going with this?" Kyousuke's eyes fell and remembering the letters they had as frequently as they could, sent each other he found himself a bit more nervous than he would have liked. Kyousuke turned his head, watching as tears fell from her eyes to stain her newly purchased blouse. _He's not yelling… nor is he violent. Why?_

"The letters… I paid them no mind. Kyousuke, I'm not angry, nor am I disappointed. I just want to know why." Picking up his glass, it wasn't hard for Kyousuke to tell that his father was drinking, and when he drank, well… problems seemed to go by a bit easier than when he was angry. He felt his mouth dry as words came spilling from his mouth.

"When you separated us and sent me off to the military, we started writing to each other. When I got a new phone from my allotments, I would try as often as I could to comfort her… leaving out the bad parts as often as I could. As long as Kirino is happy, I couldn't care less what happened to me." Kirino's arms tightened about his midsection, unable to face the unwavering gaze that her mother was giving the two. It was unlike her to be so stern, they were used to it from their father… but… it wasn't hard to see who ran things around the house. _I was careless. I should have known this would happen, but this is… it's too soon._

"Then let me ask you this. We do find this relationship wrong, but not for the reasons you think. What we want to know is, how convicted are you to stay at each other's side?" Taking another sip, he gently placed the glass into the chair's cupholder, and tightened his knuckles til they nearly bled from the pressure. _Kirino's too shaken to say anything, so…_

Rubbing the top of her head affectionately, he stood abruptly. Peeling off the flannel he'd been wearing, he tugged at the black long-sleeved tee and pulled it over his head. He did it slowly, for each and every scar, every wound, _everything_ would be seen. _I won't back away this time… nor will I give up. I owe it to Kirino._

His mother, Yoshino, simply looked away, sobbing, as every wound he'd had laid bare before them. As parents, it was surely the last thing they wanted to see. _It's the last thing I wanted to do, too._

A gash streaked across his body, from shoulder to hip and an equally discolored patch of skin, right beneath his heart, pointed in the shape of a star. Numerous others of less importance, a few on his arms, and a few just below his neck side by side, in repetition, _everything_. His father took in every detail, unflinching and determined.

"The three times I came close to death are here. I was ripped into by a piece of falling scrap metal. This, I received when I took the bullet meant for a comrade. And finally," He rubbed the circular patch with a bit of discomfort. Bad memories always seemed to follow it, whenever he thought of the slight embed in his shoulder.

"This is where they lodged a pole in me to keep me chained to the wall, where I was tortured in Al Baraq-de Asad. It scarred when I ripped it out and fought back. I got lucky in the fact they were soundly defeated by a small gathering of my company who went against orders to bring me back." Kyousuke shivered a bit at the stares. He quickly pulled his shirt back on, sighing in relief. He turned back to his father, who continued to tighten those same fists that pushed him out the door, they bled enough that it worried him.

"I look back, and there isn't a moment I didn't think about Kirino, and as well as all of your advice, dad. I know that you think I'm not the same, I don't care. Every night, I tossed and turned, wondering when I could finally come back to her. Even if it were ten, twenty, _fifty_, I would come back to Kirino. I love her more than anything, more than this useless, painful life of mine. I'm willing to cherish it for her sake." Daisuke Kousaka was still for a moment, still trapped in thought. Though, unbelievably, a small smile came across his lips, and he visibly relaxed back into the chair once again. _What does this mean?_

"When you hear something like that, it's hard to say anything. While you were gone… well… you might have read it or not heard of it since coming back." Yoshino, who had been quiet, looked between the two as a mixture of shock and fear wrenched her gut.

"What do you mean? _What are you telling me?_" Kyousuke gulped as he raised his voice, and as his father stood from his seat. Taking Kirino's hand, he hugged them both, and he could _feel_ the raw emotions swirling beneath his head. _He's… is he? Is it over? This…_

"As of November 4th, 2014, marriage between two willing participants has become non-negotiable, regardless of status, affiliation, and relative cause. Son, what I'm saying, and if you're truly dead-set. You two can… you know…" He let them go with a smile and sighed as the passing storm blew over. In its wake, well, in Kyousuke's eyes that was the start of a new dawn. A new life. One without restrictions.


	2. Learning to Live A New Life

Standing outside of his training camp, Kyousuke looked at the clock with a sigh. _It's already nine o'clock in the evening. Though… I think oyaji will be proud to know that I've finally done it._

Typing in at his phone, he scrolled through his contacts until one clearly labeled 'Father' came up in italics, and quickly pressed down to call him. He stood for a bit, until he heard heavy footsteps and a loud ringing came to his right.

Looking over, Kyousuke saw both his mother and father running up to him, panting with equally happy grins matching on their faces.

"Son, I don't know what to say! You did it!" Laughing, he rubbed the back of his head to get any remaining dust off the back of his neck. Unsurprisingly, it clung to his skin like glue on paper, making it impossible to get off without his much much-needed shower.

"Yeah. I guess I did. Does Kirino know?" His mother shook her head, sighing almost into the palm of her hand.

"Not quite. Though when we called her, she said that she would be there before us, since she's half an hour ahead. I wonder if she got lost?" Kyousuke scratched his chin as he scanned the crowd of fervently talking people for her, trying (in vain)to spot his sister at all. Waving, he could clearly see Akagi among the crowd of murmuring people caught in their conversations, probably from his pushing and constant, boisterous apologies. _Well, that's where he is. Wait a second… how the hell did he know I'd be here?_

"Yo! Kyousuke!" Waving over, he half-crashed, half-shoulder tackled him in his haste, taking them both to the ground in a groaning heap. _Ugh… this feels like that roundhouse I got from Ayase… no… worse!_

"Hey buddy… so you heard?" Standing up, Kohei Akagi pulled one Kyousuke Kousaka to his feet with an excited grin, slapping his arm for added effect.

"That you've officially become a renowned badass, of course I have!" He laughed nervously at that sentiment, eyes deadpan as he looked away. _Yeah, at the small price of torturing myself for four years, and then for another two months when I got back… heh…_

"Honestly, I didn't know how I was going to get here. Thank kami the NJSP decided to pull strings to buy me that truck… otherwise I'd have never made it. Speaking of which, how did you and oyaji get here? The train?" The nodded quickly, to which he grinned wide as he clasped his dad's shoulders. An idea popped up in his mind, and he couldn't resist to poke at the man's dreams.

"Whaddya say to driving it? You've always wanted your own, right?" His eyes went wide as keys held by a lanyard fell into his hands, and almost failed to stay still.

"Really, you'd let me do- *cough*, of course. Thank you, son." They laughed as he practically sprinted out into the parking lot to find it, the new Chevy was no doubt already calling his name.

"That's the first time I've ever seen him skip like a school-girl, I'll have you know."

Kyousuke was _still_ holding his gut at the sputtering laughter that continued to deflate his lungs like potato chips.

"Y-Yeah… I know- hehe."

"_Kyou-chan!_" He turned around, mildly surprised as Kirino's weight slammed into his back. He held himself upright, albeit barely. _Again, thanking kami that she doesn't weigh as much as Kohei._

Looking to the sky, it was hard to believe that seven weeks had already passed since he'd gotten home, even more-so that Christmas Eve was already the very next day. During that span of time, Kyousuke managed to get into college, back to studying Business and Entrepreneurship like he'd been planning in Shibuya University for a while now. And the funds he'd gotten as wartime efforts… well… they really did go the full mile in getting him the dream home that he wanted.

"Since I finally finished all the clothes shopping with Kirino a little while ago, could we spend Christmas here in Shibuya? My friend from the military, Amagai, already went ahead and started getting the place ready for all of us."

"Really? That's actually pretty cool, aniki." Kyousuke's heart swelled to three times its normal size in pride. Getting a compliment out of Kirino never was easy, after all. Well, it shrank back to normal size when she flicked the size of his head.

"But you're still not as awesome as me!" He laughed a bit with her, trying to find ways to possibly (and theoretically) throw her out of an open window. _Yeah, keep telling yourself that._

The sound of a horn took him by surprise- waiting for him, barely still in his seat, was his father behind the wheel of his truck. _He's still excited, huh?_

It gave him ideas for his present. One that had just sparked in the back of his mind, of course. Certainly nothing that he'd been planning for a while, he was sure of.

"Hey, Kohei. You took the train too, right? Hop in, you're invited." He didn't need to be told twice as he clambered in one of the back seats, already sitting in the comfort of the leather seats. Kyousuke sighed as he let Kirino climb off his back- while avoiding that damned kick to the back of his legs all the same.

The ride to his home was fairly simple, at least as much as it could get. With Kyousuke and Kohei, and a little bit of prodding from his mother and Kirino, they'd managed to break Daisuke Kousaka's stone-hard expression and sing Christmas carols with them. They'd been like that for nearly ten minutes, only stopping when Kyousuke had to point out directions back home every time he got confused on where they were at.

As they pulled into the gated driveway of the two-story, two-basement home, Kyousuke felt a bit of pride as gasps and awes came from his family.

"How did you afford a place like this? It's… amazing…" Kyousuke grinned a bit as they stepped out of the truck in the driveway, catching the keys and locking it as they made their way up to the front porch.

"You wouldn't believe who I met during my third tour. Ginrei Koujaku, the owner of the Shiban-ten Worldwide Flight and Transport services. I saved his daughter and her husband during one of our exfils from a few questionable cats, and well… he said that he owed me more than anything. He wanted to buy me something bigger… but I doubt I'd be able to pay for utilities for anything larger." Fishing his keys back out of his pocket, he let them sit and stew in their excitement for a moment as he unlocked the door and typed in the code to the keypad, showing his father and mother the combination of course.

"Welcome home, everyone." As soon as they walked into the door, a scarlet-haired woman in no later than her thirties grinned, marching up to him with an all but deviant look.

"Beansprout! I was glad you didn't keep us all waiting for _hours_ like last time." Kyousuke gave out a small 'tsk', chopping the top of her head in annoyance as he brushed past her.

"Oh, give it a rest Lieutenant Hardass." The living space spoke of the volume and wealth of the home, but it was simple. Two couches, three recliners, a television, a fireplace, and a tempered glass coffee table cleanly sat in sight of the commonplace. Of course, dark hardwood floors leading to the dining room and the marble-tiled kitchen left his mom and dad surprised enough to stop and relax after a long day at work. Daisuke, Yoshino and Kirino Kousaka made themselves comfy with Kohei sinking into a nearby recliner as a few of his military friends filed through.

Daniel Gaits was the first, brushing a hand through his short-cropped and styled blonde hair as he sat down with a glass in hand. Lamar Teech was next, an African-American infantryman who he had a long-lived respect for followed. They sort of filed in, introducing themselves along with Lieutenant Amanda Hart, his team leader for most of his exploits during the war against terror. It was hard to believe that all of his close friends and comrades survived the four-year hospice, but he wouldn't have had it any way.

"Mom, Oyaji, make yourselves at home and help yourself to the drinks in the kitchen. None for you, Kirino, even if you are technically legally able to." She pouted quickly, crossing her arms in an almost frivolous manner. He'd probably get an earful later.

Taking a shower to wipe away any grime or unreasonable dust still stuck to him, he came back down wearing a pair of jeans and socks, a plain white tee hidden beneath an open-collared sweater with a small pink christmas tree embroidered into the shoulder, he made himself known. His father, unsurprisingly, was comparing stories in duty with a few of his own guests with gusto, trying to convince them of likely another one of his more recent raids inside the city.

"I'm serious, we ended up stopping the largest major drug-trafficking ring in the precinct." Scratching the back of his head, Kyousuke coughed, nodding to Daniel's open mouth in surprise, confirming it.

"It's true. He came back all stone-faced as usual, but it was all over the news for months back when I was still a kid in middle school." Chuckling to herself, Amanda grinned as she put her palm into her hand with a rather dangerous glint of her teeth. _She wouldn't…_

"Yeah, we all still believed you were in middle school until you started growing again. Something about how you called everyone else giants in the shower lockers?" He stomped his foot, meeting her gaze intensely enough to cause sparks.

"Really, I don't know about that. Seems like you never beat me in a provisional spar, huh?" Amanda scoffed, brushing a hand through her hair in feigned indifference.

"Lucky shot, I'll tell you." Kyousuke fished two bottles of barley tea from the refrigerator, placing one of the cold bottles against Kirino's cheek. To his surprise, she slapped the back of his head sitting down, nose high in the air as she looked to the side.

"You actually hit harder than her, if you'd believe it Kirino." She leaned over, arms crossed in a pout as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Whatever…" He laughed a bit as he rubbed her head again, pulling back the bottle to let the contents wash down his dry throat. Kyousuke nearly spit out his drink at Lamar's mischievous grin.

"You showed us your parents, but who's the little lady clinging to you like her life depends on it? Is it this girlfriend they mentioned?" He nodded, crossing his arms as to avoid confrontation. _They wouldn't judge me about her being my sister anyways… they're all bat-shit crazy people anyways._

"Yeah, she's my sister, Kirino Kousaka." Lamar howled in laughter, raising his drink along with his three comrades. The only other Japanese male besides his father nodded his head in approval. That would be Staff Sergeant Shino Amagai, but many of them simply called him Sandy, despite his protests.

"Well, I've learned to expect the unexpected anyways. How goes it between you two. Ya mess each other up yet?" Amanda wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, to which he coughed, turning away with a blush as he scratched his cheek. Despite that, a small smile made its way to his face, for what reason he'd have yet to find out.

Daniel Gaits, always the one for 'safety first' despite his group's rather reckless nature, coughed into his hand.

"Make sure to be careful, you two. Since Kyousuke happens to be like my brother, I hold you to the same standard, Kirino Kousaka-san." She nodded, smiling gratefully at the gathered people lounging in his living room. Kohei Akagi, who had been quiet nearly the entire time, sputtered, pointing between the two in surprise.

"You didn't tell me you two finally got together! Congratulations, man!" Kyousuke nodded thankfully, all the while rubbing his mother, Yoshino's hand comfortingly. He smiled to her, to which she just continue, shell-shocked but happy. She had to use a spare handkerchief to wipe away the happy tears.

"Thank you. All of you… for being so accepting of the two. I was afraid that people would shun them, you know?" Amagai snorted, sipping at his drink as he gazed over the family of four with a shake of his head.

"Of course not. I told myself that when he pulled me out of the burning wreckage of a Humvee and saved my life, that I'd accept him no matter what. Almost everyone in our company already knew besides Lamar and Danny about his relationship. We're all behind it." Daisuke cracked a smile and reaching into a small bag, he procured a rather large, fancy bottle. It was one that Kyousuke had trouble believing that he'd gotten from any ordinary store. _Geez, oyaji. Couldn't wait, could you?_

"Well, this is as good a time as any to celebrate. Young Kyousuke finally managed to become the newest Karate Grand Master, as well as a seventh-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so I think we should start the festivities early then?"

The rest of the night passed quickly as the military-men, his father and mother included, drank themselves nearly stupid as they consumed the whole turkey and ham, along with nearly _all _of the several side-dishes scattered about the kitchen. Many of them fell asleep in the rooms he'd been able to provide, which left his parents and Kirino as the final ones to choose their own rooms to stay in.

His father clapped his shoulder, admiring the house once more with a twinge of pride. Kyousuke could see it in his father Daisuke's eyes, that things were finally going right because of his hard work. That was the one thing that he thought he'd never see in his life. _I guess that… I was right to keep going. I'm glad._

"Son, there are no words to prove to you how proud I am, of both you and Kirino. If I was told that this would be happening because of your relationship five years ago, I'd have killed a man. Now? I can say that this _is_ what's best. Now, what room did you leave your old parents? Not a closet, I hope?" Kyousuke shook his head, laughing to himself at the rather poor-tasted joke. _Geez… still that little faith?_

"Follow me." Leading them up the stairs, they went to the furthest hall, where a door with a small carved wooden plate was plastered to the door. _Mom and Dad, huh? What a weird plaque._

"This room is yours. Feel free to stay as long as you like." They quickly entered, shutting the door behind them with barely feigned excitement as the two-toned suite came immediately to the fore-front of their vision. Kirino chuckled a bit, elbowing him in the side with a smile. He clutched said side with his own, albeit pained, laugh.

"Trying to impress them so you can be a pervert, aniki?" Kyousuke shook his head, sighing as he led her by hand to their own room. He didn't plan to stay there for long, he had something else to show her as well.

"That's what you say. Maybe I'll start by touching you with a two-foot pole." He reached for the door handle, only to be kicked in the back as he fell to the carpeted floor in a heap.

"Asshole…" He laughed a bit, rubbing his sore nose as he sat up on the bed. She blushed brightly as several dressers, surely too many for him alone, and a closet with Kirino's name clearly printing itself in her vision.

"So… what's all this stuff with my name on it. You aren't trying to…?" Kyousuke nodded, sucking in his breath for what was to come next. A pang of nervousness made his hands a bit sweaty, shaking a bit yet still mustered enough courage to keep himself upright.

"People always said that we couldn't, or that we shouldn't. With everything happening and the good news we got when we were found out… well… I want you to live here, with me." She stared at him for a moment, blushing bright as her fist unclenched over her left breast. Kyousuke gulped as she sat next to him, silent. _Oh… this is…_

Kirino leaned against him, her nose deeply inhaling in his scent for a moment. She smiled quickly.

"Of course. Honestly, I thought you'd never ask… aniki." He sighed as she leaned back into the bed with a happy hum, curling up into the mattress comfortably. Shaking her shoulder, Kyousuke took Kirino's hand as he led her out the door, shutting it behind them as he quickly made way to the stairs.

"Where are we g-going? _Aniki_!" He grinned back to her, to which she blushed brightly, muttering 'pervert' under her breath as he opened the door leading down-stairs.

"You'll see." It left her waiting, probably curious as well as to what he was going see. _She's really pumped up now. Huh._

He made his way across the carpeted basement, ignoring the bar at the wall as he went down another flight of stars. He could tell Kirino was nervous as he continued, but Kyousuke paid it no mind as he led Kirino by hand to what he wanted to show her. Opening the door to the room, it was too dark for her to see, so obviously her first reaction was to grab her phone, pointing it out inside. He placed a hand on her arm, making her lower it.

"I told you all those years ago, at the end of our 'Cold War' that I would never judge you for your habit, right?" She nodded quickly, leaning into him as he motioned for the light switch inside. Taking a deep breath, he flicked it on to reveal a sight that ate at him… well, his wallet at least.

"I decorated and stuff, you know, with some of the stuff you had at home. While you were out, I loaded up everything in your collection and put it around here. I even got you a... you know… new computer for your games." Leaning up on her tiptoes, Kirino placed a kiss on his cheek, leaving him to stand there and rub it with his free hand, unknowingly.

"Aniki, I'll admit it. You're alright… I guess…" Kyousuke could hear the slight patter of footsteps above them, and he nodded back to the stairs with a smile.

"Looks like somebody's cleaning already. Well, they might be done already…" Shutting the door after flicking off the lights, he repeated the process until they reached back up to the dimly lit living room, where Daniel and Amagai were finishing up the tidying up, putting the last glass into the cupboard above. He scratched his head with an embarrassed chuckle.

"My bad. Didn't you two were already on it." Daniel flashed a grin to the two, patting his bicep with a smile.

"Hey, we promised we'd help out, right? No point in going half-empty." He nodded in thanks and sat up on the kitchen island as he crossed his legs, where they leaned back against the countertops with relieved grins.

"So… uh… thanks for that, for me and Kirino, you know…" Amagai and Daniel gave a small wave of their hands, almost like they were shooing him off like a common housecat.

"Don't worry about it. I mean, sure it was a bit surprising, but I know you. You're a good man, you know that? Love isn't something you can control, after all." Nodding, he bumped his fist with an equally glad smile, receiving an approving nod from Amagai as well.

"I agree. As long as I get an invitation to the wedding, I'm happy." Kyousuke looked to the two with a smile, and Kirino shuffled next to him, bowing her head slightly in respect.

"I know I had yet to say anything, but… thanks for keeping this stupid, _perverted_ idiot safe… and not for shunning us as well." Kyousuke gave a surprised chuckle at her confession, leaning back onto his leg with mixed feelings. Daniel shook his head as he brushed past her, clapping her back along with Amagai as they made way back to their rooms.

"No problem, little miss. If he comes up with any stupid plans again, give us a call." Kirino looked back up to him with a smile, blushing furiously as Kyousuke wrapped an arm around her. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance despite that.

"He's a pervert too, isn't he?" Kirino's voice was cut and dry, just about as blunt as how his face visibly fell. Well, at least he was still smiling.

"Yeah, a massive one at that." Deep laughter echoed through the halls accompanied with the shutting of doors that left little to do for the rest of the night. Sighing, Kyousuke prodded her cheek with his finger, lazily looking down at her.

"Bed?" She stomped his foot with her heel, blushing bright at the implications.

"Perverted aniki. Sleep only… idiot…"

The two retired for the night, ready to rest after a long day. Waiting ahead of them was one of Kirino and Kyousuke's free days, a Monday. The night would pass without incident, only accompanied by happy snores of the home's guests and residents.

* * *

_Soft…_

_Since when did pillows get this soft?_

_The corner is kind of stiff… springy even…_

A hushed gasp woke him, and when he realized that in his arms, cuddled into him _wasn't_ a pillow, well, he could feel the burning in his cheeks radiant heat like an open flame. His hand froze, still earnestly cupping Kirino's (unexpectedly) large breast in one hand, while the other lingered dangerously low about her midriff.

Sitting up with an arm crossed over her chest, her face quite closely exploded in a shade of crimson rivaling the roses out front.

"P-P-Per-Pervert!" Kyousuke's formerly contented smile twisted into one of horror as he looked away in shame. _Crap… this bad! This is bad!_

"K-Kirino, I… uh…" She sighed, taking his wrist in hand and placing flat into where it was before, squishing into the pliable orb that he'd been squeezing but a moment ago.

"I-Idiot… do it when we're awake…" Grinning, he clambered over her, pushing her down as he locked his lips with Kirino's own. She gave slight trembles as they furiously grasped and prodded at each other's forms. _My little sister can't possibly be this cute!_

Releasing her from his grip, Kyousuke hovered over her, grinning cheekily as she slapped his chest in a near playful manner.

"Baka… if you do that, I won't be able to think about anything else…" Kirino's phone buzzed from the nightstand, and he sat up, stretching out his legs as he fell to the side of her. Kyousuke tousled her hair a bit as she furiously tapped away at the screen. Turning to him, she grinned.

"Ayase, Kuroneko and the others were wondering where we were… since… you know… nobody was at the door." He nodded, propping up on one arm as he winked in her direction. Kirino rolled her eyes at the action, blushing furiously as his chest, bare to the world, came into view.

"P-Put on a shirt at least before they get here… cause… you're mine." Kirino squeaked out the last word as she texted over the address to their friends. Kyousuke shrugged as he pushed off the bed, yawning as he padded into the bathroom to wash out the stale taste in his mouth.

"When are they getting here?" Kyousuke called over from the sink, spitting out the water with a relieved sigh.

"O-Oh… they're only a couple blocks away. Saori is driving over with uh… her older sister." Kirino stretched her arm over her head, blankly looking as Kyousuke stopped to all but stare at the rather obvious orbs protruding from her shirt, only looking away when he knew that he was caught.

"Pervert… staring at my boobs like that…" He scratched his head, smiling with a light chuckle as he opened the door. Kirino swung her legs off the bed and out from the covers as he fixed their bed, neatly tucking the sheets before heading out the door behind Kirino, who'd already left.

"Put on a damn shirt, _Aniki_!"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Throwing on another pair of jeans, he grabbed a white tee and another flannel, slipping on socks as he headed out the door. He shut it behind him as the doorbell rang, causing a bit more stirring in the rooms ahead. _Looks like they're all waking up too._

He padded over to the railing that looked over the living room, waving back as his father sipped away at a cup of coffee from behind his newspaper.

"Sleep well?" He quickly reached the last step, walking past him as he made for one of the barstools sitting on the side of the open window into the kitchen. His father sighed, almost blissfully, like he hadn't in a long time.

"I did. Guests?" Kyousuke nodded, leaning against the countertop as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah. Friends from back then, y'know. School and stuff." Daniel, who was the first to wake up, yawned about as loud and obnoxiously as he could, enough that Kyousuke rolled his eyes in retort.

"Mornin' Kyou. You made coffee?" Kyousuke shook his head, jerking a thumb towards his dad as the blonde filled a mug and placed another in front of him.

"No. The old man made it." Sipping at the beverage, the blonde was pleasantly surprised, looking back over to said person, Daisuke, who was busy reading the local articles inside the paper.

"Hey, hey, it's like night and day from what you make. Just saying, he could get pretty far in the army with this." Kyousuke dumbly looked at him, deadpan as he turned his head for confirmation.

"Really?" Daniel nodded, raising his mug.

"Anyone who can make good coffee is good in everybody's eyes." Shaking his head, he stood up as he saw Ruri and Saori nervously poke their heads into the room from the corner. He waved to them, to which they continued looking. _Wait a second… I haven't seen them since I got back. I hope that they at least remember me._

"Hey, how's it been?" Saori and Kanako, who had drifted about the corner, had to rub their eyes, as if they were seeing some type of random ghost. Even Daniel jerked a thumb to him, blankly staring as he sipped at his coffee.

"Kyousuke's right here, you know." Kyousuke set his mug down, carefully, as Ruri raised a hand and briskly struck his face, crossing her arms in the process.

"You know, the least you could do was send any of us a letter to know you didn't die already." He rubbed the burning cheek with a rather bored expression, leaning on his hand almost nonchalantly. _I swear… the amount of crazy people I seem to attract, it's insane._

"And also, what's with the badass look? Last time you left, Saori weighed more than you did, and now you come back looking like you've been on steroids, dumbass!" Daniel nearly spit out his coffee, unable to hold the howling laughter inside anymore, trying desperately to stop the wiggling in his eyebrows.

"I guess he was… hehe… I guess he was tired of getting his ass beat by everyone in the barracks during spars. Little punk didn't rest _or_ stop eating until he finally had a punch that wasn't like a small child!" Kyousuke glared daggers at the still howling man, rolling about the kitchen floor, promptly laughing his ass off at his misfortune.

"Shut up… I don't remember asking _you_ to advertise those moments." Standing up, he fished out his wallet with a picture- when he turned twenty, after he was done growing Kyousuke won his first spar against the squad captain- he lost a lot more after that, though, until later on. He was irate, black and blue everywhere as he barely stood standing with a smug grin on his face, a ribbon clearly reading 'No Longer a Loser' dangling over his head.

"You looked so proud in this one… pfft… hehe…" Kyousuke desperately tried to get the picture- finding himself unable to as he presented it to Ruri. She looked at it, a dull, but plain smile speaking of mischief splayed on her lips.

"So, you were the army's punching bag… heh." Kanako full on started laughing, Ayase was giggling away as well. Saori was trying (but obviously failing) to calm the chuckles in her throat. Kyousuke did smile a bit, despite pinning down the blonde and in the middle of forcing back (almost breaking) Daniel's arm despite the tapping of his hand on the floor from his face-down position.

"Yeah, laugh it up… sheesh. That was two years ago. I can almost guarantee that I could take everybody in the company and win. You know as well as I do that Captain Kaito is gonna get a beating for that… just haven't found time yet." Picking himself up off the floor, he took the offered hand with one last chuckle, nervously though, as his eyes drifted to the ceiling.

"Yeah… it's gonna be kind of weird with you missing, ya know?" Kyousuke slapped his arm, grinning as he handed back the photo which had managed to find his hands.

"Don't worry about it. I'm still technically in the unit. Just, they're only calling me back if I agree to it." Rolling his eyes, Daniel shrugged as he picked his mug back up to his lips, sipping away once again.

"Yeah, but you've got a girl to come back to. Honestly, those days were hard, and it kind of hurts to see you always throwing yourself under the bus for us constantly. At least when you got shot for me, I knew you were gonna live…" Saori gasped, looking between the two conversing males, immediately calming herself down from her previous outburst.

"Or when he pushed me outta the way of all that damn scrap metal from the falling building. Dumbass." Lamar took the coffee pot and fished his own mug out, quickly placing it back as he leaned over the counter.

Pulling up his shirt, probably because Kyousuke _knew_ they were curious, he pointed to the scars before quickly letting it drift back down.

"There, ya happy?" Amanda brushed her near vivid scarlet hair back to the side, punching the back of his head with her fist as she too went straight to the coffee pot. _This is just going to get worse, isn't it?_

"I mean, at least you didn't have to get carried around like a dead rabbit or a wounded bridesmaid for four hours when you're passing out. Dumbass took me to the field surgeon despite walking three miles to get there." Kyousuke hung his head, deadpan as he stared at the floor to avoid the pink dusting on his cheeks.

"If you're done measuring, you can stop already." _I want to die… god this is embarrassing._

"Why stop there? I tell you what, this guy right here was the _biggest_ prude I've ever met. It took me _ages_ to get this kid to accept some liquor, even then he sat like a child sipping at it like tea." His father peeked out with a raised eyebrow, setting his mug down to ready himself for the incoming conversation.

"Really? Last night surely says a lot. He and Kirino were a little ready for anything after only a half of a shot." Stepping out from behind Ruri, Kirino fumed crossing her arms over her chest as if to preserve what (little) dignity she had left.

"Geez. Why not tell the whole world." He chuckled, waving her off with his hand.

"Yeah, I'll get to it later. I trust you've both kept up with your studies since you got back?" Kyousuke nodded, taking a deep breath as he once again faced the rather _expectant_ gaze his father sent his way.

"Don't you have to work in less than an hour? Mom's workplace is pretty close, but you've gotta get a move on." Looking at his wrist watch, he nodded, folding the paper back into his pocket as he stood back up from the couch.

"Well, she already left. I was about to go myself." As he headed for the door, Kyousuke sighed, bringing his phone back up to view- his grades for his courses were cleanly displayed on the screen for him to see.

"I've been working my ass off, so I'm already caught up with nearly perfect grades. You already lectured me about it…" Daisuke nodded as he made his way out the door, letting it shut on his way out and leaving his three _supposed_ comrades laughing like baby monkeys.

"The studious type? I would've never guessed!" Fuming, he refrained from throwing his superior out the nearest window- for his own sake, and the health of said window, as he sat down on the couch.

"Oh, can it. Anyways, what brings you all here? Have a seat." Following suit, they lounged into the opposite couch (while Ayase seemed content to keep looking at him from a nearby recliner) and made themselves at home. Looking off, he noticed that, once again, Saori was nearly as tall as him. _How the hell did she grow so much? She's a few inches taller than Amanda!_

"Uh... yeah. A-Anyways, we were all wondering how you are holding up. You know, since you don't have school and stuff." Kirino unknowingly twined her fingers in between his- he couldn't help but notice she was trying to send signals to Ruri. _Huh. Never thought she'd be forward enough for this._

"Honestly, pretty great. My college is being paid for by the military, and well… I've already got a couple of ideas as far as jobs go. Things are good." Shaking her head Saori pushed another newspaper in front of him, the article was clearly written about him, but as far as how it got there, he had no idea. _What's this about? My capture and rescue? Why would they have something like this?_

"The article said you were in confinement… in a bad place for almost three weeks. Among other things… about a replacement eye, and other stuff, you know. Are you alright?" He nodded quickly, pointing to the jagged scar running across his eye, almost calmly. Enough that it was almost, at least to Ayase, unnerving.

"Yeah. They patched me up good and despite everything, I'm perfectly healthy. My vision might even be a bit better than it was before. Mentally, though…" He sighed, circumventing the swimming doubts in the back of his mind. A few thoughts crossed, maybe a couple of images, but he ignored them for the time being.

"Being back is taking a while to get used to." A soft knocking on the wall caught his attention, Amanda was staring at him, bored out of her mind with a small apron fixed about her waist. Well, it was also inside-out, but it's the thought the counts.

"I would try to make something so one of you idiots don't burn down this house, but you don't have much in there right now." Kyousuke nervously scratched his head, sighing almost forlornly at the thought of food.

"Yeah, we kind of used it all last night. Some of you can go along, if you want. I'll head out later." Dropping the apron with a sigh of relief, she dusted off her hands with an affirming grunt. Kyousuke looked back over to the expectant three with a small sigh.

"A-Anyways… ask me anything you need. I'll uh…" Kirino's hand tangled tighter with his own, comfortingly.

"I'll tell you all anything you need to know."

* * *

**That was the second chapter, done. A little late to be posting a story about this anime, but meh. Idea came to mind, and I'm pretty boundary-less when it comes to things like this. Don't really have an opinion :/.**

**Peace**


	3. Making It Count

Morning came quickly, like a bright flood of light to shine down on him, well, _them_.

"Spring already, huh?" Kyousuke propped up his head on his arm, watching her each breath. Clutching the sheets close as if her life depended on it, he couldn't help but admire just how beautiful she looked in the morning sun.

"Kirino…" He reached out, stroking her cheek quietly as her eyes fluttered open. Yawning, Kirino rolled over, smiling bashfully as she rubbed the touched skin with a blush.

"Mou, pervert aniki." It held no barb, though, but he could definitely see the mischief in her eyes. He couldn't help but let her do with him what she wanted, leaping into his waiting arms in a half-hearted shoulder-tackle.

"Com'ere, you little rascal…" They fumbled on the bed, leaving Kyousuke leaning over her, breathing deeply as he placed his hands on either side of her head. She smirked, poking his chest.

"I thought I told _you_, mister, to put on a shirt. Save some of that for later today, ne?" Winking, Kirino pushed him off, brushing a hand through her hair as she fumbled a bit with the clothes in her drawer. Yawning himself, Kyousuke looked out at her sister, trying not to stare as she changed clothing. _What is a man in love to do?_

"What's happening today, Kiri-chan?" She smirked, throwing her discarded shirt into his face with a small grin. Hurriedly, she managed to finish her outfit for the day before he removed said article.

"Well, you said you were curious about the kind of modeling I do now, right? Pack your stuff, we're going to the beach." A few images came to mind, and with no wasted effort, he hugged her from behind as he placed a chaste kiss to her cheek.

"Yes ma'am." Blushing again, she coyly covered her chest in defense.

"Perverted sis-con, you were imagining things, weren't you?" He shook his head in agreement as he filed through the dresser drawers with a small grin.

"Hey, you said it not me." Kirino brushed her hands through his hair with a smile, fingers trailing down his back with a satisfied grin.

"Well, at least you're a handsome sis-con, if anything else." He fished out a pair of shorts and a short-sleeve button up along with his favorite bandana. Grunting, He slipped them on quickly, tying the emblem-clad piece to his bicep with a grin as it tightened quickly. A quick pull with the part between his teeth and he found himself ready almost immediately.

"What do you mean by that? Is there something I'm doing?" Kirino nodded, eyes sparkling as a toothy smile splayed on her face. Bringing up her index finger, she traced Kyousuke's jawline with a telling blush.

"My agency asked me to get _you_ to help with the shoot. So, we're gonna dress you up and make a man out of you yet, _aniki_." He deadpanned, eyebrow twitching furiously.

"Don't tell me that _she's_ going to be there." Kirino's face fell, a scowl making itself present.

"Unfortunately, yes. Try _not _to get molested this time, Kyousuke." He cringed, placing a quick hand on her shoulder to pull Kirino closer. Leaning down, Kyousuke pecked her lips before making his way out the door with a wave of his hand. _Ayase isn't gonna pull anything this time. That much I can promise!_

"You know that I only have eyes for you, Kirino." She sputtered, finger dropping as she gathered her things to chase after him.

* * *

Kyousuke really had to thank his lucky stars for reserved parking. If the traffic got any more restricted, he wouldn't have been able to fit in the lots outside the beach clubhouse. Opening the door, Kyousuke stepped out into the sun, basking in the sea-salted air that came from the constantly crashing waves of the ocean.

"Damn, it's actually pretty nice." It was hot, yet, but it was more than tolerable. It was a good kind of heat. _Today's gonna be a good day for sure._

"Kyousuke, could you get the bags?" With a nod, he slung the umbrella over his shoulder, the bag hanging loosely in his hands as they walked out into the sand.

"I got em, Kirino." With a grin, Kirino took him by the hand and led him over to the many umbrellas and cameras set up at the more secluded side of the beach. He cursed his luck as he spotted a familiar face, hoping to his lucky stars he didn't notice. _Not now, Kohei._

"Oi! Kyousuke! Wait up!" Sighing he stopped just a few dozen feet away from the camera sets, letting his high school friend catch up to him, panting. Like him, he was in his trunks and a white tee.

"What's up, Kohei? Didn't think I'd see you here, honestly." He nodded, rubbing his legs in phantom pain as he looked back up from his hunched position.

"Yeah, no kidding. Man, when did you get so fast?" Kyousuke shrugged, nodding in the direction of the sets with a lopsided grin.

"Well, that's what happens when you get a drill sergeant from hell… you tend to get a little bit more fit. I gotta get over to Kirino. Participating in her photo shoot, stuff like that." Kohei pointed to the large wooden piece jutting from the sand, chuckling.

"Wonder what they're going to do with that, huh?" Nodding, he noticed a coil of rope sitting at the top, and he had to inwardly sigh. _Scratch that. Not a good day._

"Yeah. Hey, I'll see you later." Ignoring his protests, he caught up next to Kirino who had been busy chatting away with the director and her close friend, Ayase. Walking up to them, he rubbed her head, making her jolt in surprise.

"So, what's up?" Smiling in surprise, the fashion director curtly bowed, to which he responded in kind.

"Hello. You must be Kyousuke-san, correct?" Nodding, he clapped his hands and blew into the whistle. Several people scattered about sat up from their lounging spots, manning the cameras in preparation.

"Good. If you'd take this card right here, show it to the desk at the clubhouse and they'll show you to the design rooms. My name is Kinjiro Sajisaki. Pleasure to work with you." Kyousuke smiled down to Kirino, who grinned cheekily in response. Taking him hand in hand, they made their way to the building.

"I think you'll like him. He's been doing this for a long time and has never failed to make it fun for everyone." He hoped she was right. What was up with that structure?

For Kyousuke and Kirino, the day had only just begun. The brother-sister duo would soon find yet another way to enjoy their happy halcyon days.

* * *

"As expected, we have different show rooms to separate the men and women here, so you won't have to worry about some of our more… _adventurous_ models from sneaking in. By the way, feel free to call me _Cinnamon_." Nodding, he followed him into the clothing racks, gesturing to the wide array of outfits and things he could try on. Well, at least for now.

"So, uh… I'm kind of new to this, and I don't really have much of a head for fashion. Mind helping me out?" The designer sighed, smiling as he shook his head. Carefully, he drank in his appearance, circling him widely. _O-Okay… weird. I'm not a piece of meat, damn it!_

"Oh, man. You've got the looks to make a lot of this work out. Your first pose will be a solo. You saw the end of the wooden flagship, yes?" Kyousuke nodded, fear creeping up into his spine as his smile widened. _I don't like this… he's insane!_

"Well, with those rather _dashing_ scars, if I might say, we have clothing here tailored for a more… 'pirate' type of look. It's going to look incredible, cutie." Kyousuke resisted the urge to gag at the rather… _forward _stylist and the way his amber-lensed eyes looked when he winked in his direction. _Five minutes and I want to die. You deal with this crap, Kirino?_

* * *

Kyousuke gulped as he climbed up the short railing to the hull, regretting every bad decision he'd made in life. Slowly, but surely, he was saying his prayers. _Mom, Dad, I've lived a good life. I got into college, hah?_

Kirino waved at him from below, yelling something that he couldn't quite hear. But what he did get, however, was her thumbs up. He couldn't very well disappoint her, could he?

Rolling his shoulders and preparing himself, he stepped up slowly, all the way until he had reached the end, where he posed. Leaning forward on one leg, he took a deep breath from the moist, salty air and gazed out into the waters. Since no boats were out, the cranes holding the cameramen quickly snapped a few photos, taking a few minutes pause to adjust the angle. All in all, he was scared out of his mind. _Calm down, Kyousuke. You're not afraid of heights anymore. You're not afraid! Man up!_

Drawing the seemingly real cutlass from its scabbard, he pointed it forward, putting on his best confident grin for the cameras that were surely capturing his pose. _Now here comes the hard part… god I fucking hate this, even if I have a rope attached._

Stepping up to the statue piece, he balanced himself on the head in a low crouch, almost contemplating. _This had better be fucking worth it, or I'm never going again._

"_Awesome job! Come down!_" Sighing in relief, the nearest crane followed up carefully from its skid loader, to which he stepped on the platform and detached the hook at his belt for obvious reasons. He was never going back up there. Ever. Period. End of story.

Breathing in a fresh breath of air, he stepped back onto the sands as the descent came to a halt, thanking his lucky stars that he didn't accidentally neck himself in the process.

"That was amazing, _Kyousuke-kun_! I think you have a talent for this!" For some reason, Kyousuke really did not like the purr in Kirino's voice at that moment. He wanted to lay down. He wanted to call it quits. But if he did, well, all of this would go to waste _and_ he'd have to deal with his irate sister at the end of the day. _The things I do for you…_

"Yeah, yeah. It was a little bit much, don't you think?" Slapping his arm, Kirino smiled brightly at him despite his protests.

"Don't worry. That's the biggest risks we usually take around here. Come on, the director wants to speak with you." Sighing, he grumbled as the hearty man approached with his clipboard. Kyousuke swore the shit-eating grin he had on his face told another story.

"Kyousuke. That was incredible. Do you want to see the photos before they're edited?" Kyousuke shrugged as a camera was put into his hands, where he tapped the 'View' button cleanly printed next to its digital screen. _Holy crap, the picture quality is insane! And I look cool as hell, what the fuck?_

The faux shredded leather trousers seemed to stick to his skin because of the water they put him in, giving it a rather surreal look as he stood. Even his scars and open ruby-colored jacket seemed to accentuate his posture. His dark indigo hair and fake soot plastered in different places of his body seemed to help fulcrum the colors, whatever that meant.

"Woah. I'll admit, that's pretty neat. What's next?" Scratching his chin, he looked at the schedule with a few tilts of his head, as if in indecision. Snapping his fingers, he smiled up to Kyousuke, who was nervously shuffling his feet deeper into the sand.

"Since the camera crew is really fired up, I reckon we should take this a step further. Did you like swing sets as a kid, Kyousuke-kun?" _Oh, hell no, not again. I don't know how much more of this I can take. Please, Kirino disagree to this. Don't spur on these batshit crazy idiots any-_

"Of course, he'll do it! He can carry me, too. Right Kyou-kun?" Kirino elbowed him in his side, and he felt the only thing he could do was cry silent tears. Today was going to be a long day, wasn't it?

* * *

And that, my friends, is how Kyousuke Kousaka found himself with probably the weirdest safety harness (which he felt wasn't really a harness) and his dear sister and/or lover in his arms, dressed in an old-fashioned blouse. His mission? Swing on an oddly decayed rope that was probably more than unsafe for the weight of two people onto a waiting platform, where the cameramen would capture the best 'glory shots,' whatever that meant. _Alright, count to three, and put on a desperate expression, or a smile. God this sucks. This sucks, this sucks, this sucks. One…_

_Two…_

"Let's go, aniki!" Holding on for dear life, he was tempted to shut his eyes as they cascaded into the camera crew. He relished the wind blowing into his hair as his arms strained to control the rope and hold onto his sister (despite the fact that she was strapped to him behind her dress as a precaution). Putting on the most fearsome smile he could muster, the headed straight on to the platform. _This had better give me a serious paycheck, damn it! At least Kirino seems to be having fun… wait, she's the dumbass who got me into this mess! Damn it!_

As the safety crew caught him, he fixed his balance quickly, unclipping the rope and strapping it to the metal bars of the railings of said platform.

"That was… so _cool_! Kyousuke, we gotta do stuff like this more often!" He sighed once again, praying to whatever god in the sky watching would strike him with a bolt of lightning at any moment. Since there wasn't any clouds in the sky, Kyousuke already knew that it was a lost cause.

* * *

Kyousuke sipped at his bottle of water in exhaustion as he sat atop one of the many empty black cases scattered about the sight. He watched as people went to and fro, cleaning up and preparing the site for the next shoot despite that it was getting late in the afternoon.

He could feel the heat despite the many applications of sunscreen and other skin protection. The seemed to always find a way to bead down on him specifically, like everywhere he went it got just a little bit hotter in the outside weather.

That and his head seemed to throb like hell, like next to his head was an active jackhammer. Peering up to the sky, he fixed his sunglasses with a slight discomfort despite the healthy amount of sweat pouring out of every pore in his body.

"Hey, Kyou?" He turned, where Ayase, the last person he'd expected, was curiously glancing his way. She smiled apologetically, despite the insistent beauty's daring pose in the cream-colored two-piece leaving everything to show.

"What do you need, Ayase?" Sitting next to him, she opened her own bottle of water and gulped hungrily, exhaling in a sigh of relief as the cool liquid cooled away the burning sun's rays.

"I know that the director went a little overboard today… but… uh…" He grumbled, placing his chin on his hand to lean on his spare leg that wasn't being strained.

"Kirino wanted me to tell you that she had a lot of fun. That and the quality of pictures they got will definitely put you out there, you know?" Kyousuke nodded, turning to her with just a little bit of curiosity.

"The director was really stunned by your work. Almost all of us think you're a natural at this. I guess like brother, like sister, huh?" She gave a quick laugh, to which he shook his head, grinning himself. _Yeah. I guess…_

"A-Anyways, we're all heading inside. There's food there too, you know." Kyousuke quickly finished the half-drained bottle and wiped his mouth with his forearm and stood, just in time to see Kirino rushing over to him with probably the single _happiest_ smile he'd seen her with. Well, in a long time.

"_Aniki_!" Preparing himself, Kyousuke caught Kirino as she leapt at him, steadying his feet as she clambered on his back. As her legs wrapped about his waist, he couldn't help but smile back at Kirino and her constant need for excitement.

"Hey there, you. Have fun today?" Kirino nodded, leaning into the crook of his shoulder with closed eyes.

"I set up a couple of chairs and a towel, if you'd to… you know…" He laughed, jolting up as he righted her position into something more comfortable. _Though it doesn't look like she's gonna move. I think we're both already wiped._

"Of course." He was about to set off, but _of course_, a small group of people _had_ to approach at that moment. Kyousuke swallowed once he realized exactly _what_ they were after. Their confident strides clearly told him they weren't coming up for a tea party.

"You all look like you're having fun. Say, you want to join us? I got a couple people that'd definitely like to meet you, Kyousuke, right?" He nodded carefully, studying the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man with a neutral expression. Offering his hand, Kyousuke noticed he was a foreigner. He didn't have problems with blondes, but obviously with people like Daniel running around, he couldn't be _too _careful.

"That'd be me." He took the offered hand and firmly shook it, a quick nod to the man and he was sure he was done- until four women approached the four men standing in front of them.

"The name's Johnathan. My friends and their girlfriends-" One of the women, a pleasantly plump brunette help up her hand with a defeated sigh.

"_And_ wife." Johnathan nodded with a sigh before turning back to him.

"My friends and their girlfriends, and _wife_, were wondering if you'd give us a little story, since you're a war hero and all." Kyousuke almost wanted to drop from the coming exhale, but he relented.

"I guess I don't mind if my friends are willing. It's been a long day, so I apologize in advance." Curtly bowing, the blonde faltered for a moment before- making Kyousuke cringe at the horribly stiff posture- returning the gesture.

"Of course. If not, then would you sign our college yearbooks?" He turned to Kirino, who was half-paying attention, half dozing off, and Ayase seemed ready to leave at a moment's notice. She shuffled about nervously from the volume of the group. _She's uncomfortable as hell, probably. I guess I'll just sign the damn books then._

"I'm not really sure about going with them… honestly…" Kyousuke sighed, holding his hand out in apology, which was gratefully accepted by the blonde. He didn't seem affected at all by the refusal. _Maybe he's not all that bad._

"My bad, I guess they're tired from being on their feet all day. Tell you what, I'll sign your yearbooks for you." Almost unexpectedly, a childish gleam to his eyes as he pumped his fist, quickly sprinting to their nearby hangout spot and grabbing his bookbag. A dark-skinned male who was with him laughed almost unfortunately.

"He's pretty excited about this. Sorry to bother you." Despite the ring on his finger, Kyousuke _definitely_ noticed that he hadn't made a single notion towards his wife, who was at the other end of the group. _What a quiet bunch, huh._

The man who identified himself as Johnathan ran back up, offering a stack of books as well as a small permanent marker, almost shaking in excitement. Taking the books, he looked up to him in the corner of his eye.

"Do you want anything specific?" He shook his head as quick as Kyousuke had asked.

"Anything's fine by me." Opening the front cover, he put his signature on the front page as well as a small quote that he'd picked up during his time in the military. Old fashioned isn't always terrible, is it?

Following suite, he handed them back one by one, until he finished the last word. Johnathan curtly bowed again- this was starting to get ridiculous with the amount of effort he was putting into it.

"Thank you so much, sir. We'll be on our way." As the group retreated, he sighed in relief as they left and turned over to Ayase with a questioning gaze. She shrugged her shoulders in response.

"Just fans, I guess. It happens to both of us, so I wouldn't get too worried, honestly." He looked back over to the group, who now was _vibrantly _talking between each other, like any other social circle he might have seen back in high school.

"I guess." Kirino poked his cheek with her finger, motioning to the placed chairs with a grin.

"I'm pretty tired, _aniki_. Would you hurry the hell up and stop trying to feel my boobs on your back, pervert?" Kyousuke resisted the urge to drop her. Well, just barely.

* * *

Night had fallen quickly, and many of the passing denizens of the beach had already left. Night had fallen, but it couldn't be any later than ten, at least from when he last checked his watch. Kyousuke looked over to Kirino, who was peacefully resting on his back as they walked along the beach, seemingly worn out from their day of fun. When he looked out over the open water, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. He could only admire how the moon reflected its light onto the water, and the fireflies that followed close behind.

"Ne, Kirino?" She stirred slightly, her strawberry blonde hair falling over his shoulder in a way that was, oddly in his mind, comforting.

"Hm, Kyou-kun?" Walking over to a nearby dock, he stared out over the edge, eyes closed as the ocean breeze wafted over his shoulders. That coupled with the often brush of her hair, it made his skin tingle in a way that was pleasing, more than that.

"I love you, more than anything else in this world. I can't believe that over a short few months, we've made it this far. Life with you is… uh…" She giggled, stretching her legs before placing them back around his stomach.

"Incredible?" Kyousuke nodded, turning back to the water with a ghost of a smile on his lips. _We've made it this far, so it's okay to keep going. I hope this feeling never dies… for our sake._

"I waited so long for you, aniki, and now that I've got you, I'm not letting go. You're mine… forever." He leaned into her head, looking up at the sky equally as happy. _Forever, right?_

Kyousuke left the docks, but not before carving a small 'K' into the boards before leaving, as to mark his experience. They left, returned home, but on that very night the two shared something special.

They would look back to this for the rest of their lives, and even past that in the next.

Kirino and Kyousuke Kousaka became one. By doing this, they engraved a small piece of themselves on the other, on _both_ of their hearts.

Honestly, love really is a beautiful thing, isn't it?

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this ficlet. I said near the beginning that I have no opinions on love, right.**

**Take this to heart. Love is like a bullet. When it's fired, it lands where it lands, and sometimes you can't choose where. It'll break you, strengthen you, and then finally… it'll overcome you. I put quite a bit of effort into this and tried to cover as many things as possible while keeping Kirino and Kyousuke at the forefront of the story.**

**Again, thank you for reading. I hope that all of you learn something from this.**


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